


Stay-cation

by Not Applicable (not_applicable)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Sickfic, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 12:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2692235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_applicable/pseuds/Not%20Applicable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rhodey has the flu, and his boyfriend <i>is</i> a superhero, after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay-cation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [quandong_crumble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/quandong_crumble/gifts).



“Well it wouldn’t have happened if the thing didn’t have open coding for the pilot. _My_ suits? They’re only coded to _me_ , okay, they’ll only close when _I’m_ the one standing in them, and I’m the only person they accept voice commands from.”

Tony scratched at his chest and turned off the music in his workshop. His surgery scars were scabbing over and itching something awful.

“Well, whose idea was it to disable that? Because I _know_ that when he took his Mark 2 to Edwards that it was only coded to him.” Tony sighed. He hated even having to talk to people in the Department of Defense. “Smart move – ‘oh we need to be able to get in there when Rhodes isn’t around’ – and _now_ look.” Tony huffed and stood, sliding his feet into his shoes. “Now there’s footage all over Youtube of some jabroni piloting the Iron Patriot. Kidnapping the president in it. Congrats.”

Tony already knew he was gonna have to go down there. He pocketed his PDA, which had all the programs he needed for editing and uploading software to Rhodey’s suit. Simple job. “Okay, I’ll be on base in a couple hours, tell him to meet me at hangar 18 and I’ll…no, Rhodey only – don’t send some no-name, I’m calibrating this suit for _him_ so I think that…” Tony sat back down, his brow wrinkling. “For how long? Why?” Tony's face melted into a grin. “The flu? Really?”

 

* * *

 

Tony drove two hours to the tiny town where Rhodey’s house was located, a town that wouldn’t exist if not for the military base nearby. He went to the nearest Whole Foods and bought sriracha sauce, cayenne pepper limeade, and chocolate-chili ice cream. While he shopped he called in orders at that Thai place and that Mexican place and that Vietnamese place and that burger place that put habanero peppers in their patties. He collected all of his orders before driving towards Rhodey’s house, and he called Rhodey en route.

“Hey, Tony.” Rhodey sounded like his nose was completely stopped up, sinuses so swollen that he probably couldn’t breathe right.

“The suits at Edwards say you’re out with the flu,” Tony said.

“Yeah. I think it’s a sinus infection, though. Can’t breathe for shit.”

“Open your garage door. I’ll be there in five.”

“Tony -”

“Or you _could_ just give me my own remote – you know what? Fuck it, I’m programming my cell phone to open your door, I can -”

“That’s fine, whatever, that’s not my concern.”

“Oh so you don’t wanna see me?”

“Shut _up_. I’m pretty sure I’m still contagious, that’s all.”

Tony turned into Rhodey’s driveway to find the garage door up. “Fine by me. Breathe all over me so I can take a stay-cation, too.”

“'Stay-cation'? Do I _sound like_ I’m having fun?”

Tony entered with his key and stopped by the freezer before taking all of the takeout into the living room, where Rhodey was camped out on the couch. It was hot and stuffy in there and the lights were low – the room felt as sick as Rhodey probably did. After thirty years of knowing each other, Tony was used to seeing Rhodey in his uniform or well-fitted khakis and polo shirts, not in mismatched MIT sweats and white socks. His eyes were puffy and his face was tired, his mouth open and drooping sadly as he looked away from the TV and nodded in Tony’s direction.

“Stay back,” Rhodey said with a thick and stuffy voice. “Seriously, this is the worst and you _do not_ want it. If _this_ is a stay-cation then it’s a pretty shitty one.”

“How’s your tummy?” asked Tony as he walked the food over to the coffee table, sitting all the styrofoam and greasy bags side-by-side before Rhodey, who chuckled at Tony’s choice of words.

“Fine,” he responded. “Can’t taste anything though.”

Tony took a seat beside Rhodey on the couch. “We’re about to fix that with a classic home remedy,” Tony said, and he picked up the habanero burger and handed it to Rhodey. “A generations-old Stark cure for any and all nasal afflictions-”

“Spicy food,” Rhodey interrupted, and he held up the burger to inspect it. “This is one of those five-alarm burgers, isn’t it?” Rhodey shook his head though he was already bringing it to his mouth. “What else you got?”

“Thai curry, banh mi with plenty of jalapenos, and this _stupid_ hot beef mole from that Mexican place.” Rhodey made a space for Tony on the couch and he sat down, a fork already in his hand. “The mole’s for me, though.”

Rhodey just huffed and dug into his burger, a burger that Tony already knew Rhodey liked, and he hoped he’d like it more after Tony squirted sriracha inside of it at a stoplight. Rhodey barely seemed to notice, just kept eating and occasionally coughing at the heat, but it didn’t seem to bother him too much. Rhodey moved on to the curry after that, and finally Tony could hear Rhodey sniffling as capsaicin eased into his sinuses and loosened them up. “Wow, this shit’s hot,” Rhodey mumbled as he continued to eat, his voice sounding more snotty than congested now. Rhodey opened the limeade and Tony reached for it quickly - “wait, wait,” he said, and he added a liberal squirt of sriracha before replacing the lid and giving it a healthy shake.

“Trust me,” Tony said as he handed it to Rhodey, who just smirked and took a swig.

“I’m gonna be shitting fire after this, you realize that, right?”

“Small price to pay. You sound better already.”

They kept eating and Tony emailed his contact at Edwards to reschedule his visit for a week away, and then he emailed Pepper and Happy as well to let them know that he and Rhodey both had sinus infections and would be quarantined at Rhodey’s house until further notice. Meanwhile Rhodey had a napkin to his nose and was giving it a long and seemingly-satisfying honk. “Wow,” Rhodey mumbled, his voice clearer than ever now, and he picked up another napkin and blew his nose again while walking to the bathroom. Tony heard Rhodey wash his hands and then he walked back in, his tired eyes smiling as he took his seat again on the couch.

“Feelin’ any better?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, my sinuses are clear,” Rhodey said with a bit of wonder in his voice, and Tony knew that his own smile was probably dripping with pride. “But seriously, Tony – my entire face is on fire. Did you put sriracha on that burger?”

Tony’s eyes lit up and he dashed into the kitchen, and he returned with the spicy ice cream and two spoons. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his legs up onto the couch as he handed Rhodey a spoon, and they let their bodies lean together as they dug into the ice cream and lazily watched television. Tony’s PDA buzzed and he checked it to see that Pepper had responded to his email with just two words: _yeah right_.

“We probably shouldn’t be eating from the same container,” Rhodey said around a mouthful of ice cream as he dug up another spoonful. “I’m almost positive that I’m contagious.”

So Tony leaned forward and ate the spoonful of ice cream that Rhodey had poised at his own lips, ate it right off of Rhodey’s contaminated spoon and breathed his sick air and smiled into his still-puffy and tired-looking face. Rhodey snorted and looked away, back to the TV, head shaking all the while.

“You’re definitely gonna get sick now, dummy,” he said, scooping up more ice cream, and he laughed out loud when Tony leaned over and did it again, contamination be damned.

“I guess I have to crash here then since you’ve already quarantined yourself,” Tony said. Tony offered Rhodey a spoonful of ice cream and Rhodey took it, taking the spoon into his mouth as he tried not to laugh. “Small price to pay for a stay-cation.”


End file.
